John Pletz On Technology

Fieldglass gets a boost from SAP acquisition

Sometimes an acquisition can be a drag on a fast-growing tech company as distractions, departures and bureaucracy take their toll.

Not for Fieldglass. The Chicago-based software company is doing better than ever under new owner Walldorf, Germany-based tech giant SAP, which bought Fieldglass two years ago for more than $1 billion.

Last year, Fieldglass added about 135 people companywide, about half in the Chicago area. This year, it expects to add about 200, with roughly 100 being hired locally, said Rob Brimm, a 12-year veteran and former head of sales who took over as president of SAP Fieldglass after founder Jai Shekhawat left last year.

The company has a little over 600 employees, half of them in the Chicago area. There are about 200 people at its West Loop headquarters and 100, mostly developers, in Naperville.

Fieldglass makes software that companies use to manage their temporary and contract employees. Brimm says Fieldglass got a boost from SAP's large salesforce and its global reach. On its own, Fieldglass faced a time-consuming process of setting up subsidiaries in new countries where it wants grow.

“We were always growing at a fast rate,” Brimm told me. “Since being acquired by SAP, we accelerated our international expansion. We've had access to SAP's 250,000 customers, and that's provided good opportunity, as well as access to technology and expertise.”

Brimm says Fieldglass also is benefiting from an increase in freelance work, favored by some millennials. “For some time, there's been a shift toward a contract-gig basis by millennials, and customers want to have some flexibility in their workforces as well,” he said.